How To Stealth Camping

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Stealth Camping is an Art

Stealth Camping is the act of sleeping in non-conventional areas without trace or discovery.

Though it may sound illegal, stealth camping, by definition, does not imply an illegal activity. Instead, stealth campers take advantage of free or extremely low cost sleeping areas where other campers never think to stay. Proper stealth camping is an art and requires forethought, consideration of the property owner, and safety consciousness in order to keep it legal, safe, and comfortable.

Stealth camping takes on many forms and there are very few confining definitions on what constitutes stealth camping. If you have ever taken a long journey in your car and stopped at a rest stop or a fast food parking lot for an extended nap you have stealth camped without even knowing you were doing it. Though sleeping in your car for a few hours at a Burger King may not be considered hard core by the most experienced stealthers, car camping in public parking lots is one of the more sedate forms of stealth camping. In fact, the editor of this website has made two cross-country trips stealth camping in his car exclusively in Wal-Mart parking lots or rest stops each night by dropping the rear seat in a 2002 Chevy Cavilier and crawling into a sleeping bag with his feet in the trunk and his head on a pillow lodged on the arm rest between the two front seats.

If parking lots are too tame for you, don’t write off stealth camping as only for losers who would rather sleep in their cars than shell out money for a hotel bed and a hot shower. Remember, stealth camping takes on many forms. The more exciting forms of stealth camping will have you stringing a Hennessy Hammock Tent between two trees in a secluded wooded area on the outskirts of a big city or pitching a one-man bivy shelter within earshot of a westbound train or in a tucked away corner of a farmer’s pasture land.

The purpose of this website is to share stealth camping experiences and trade secrets of where to stay and what equipment to bring. We will show you some of the best tents, sleeping bags, and other supplies to help you have safe, legal, and comfortable stealth camping experiences.